1957 Mickey Baker Custom

[LuckyDan]

I had never heard of Mickey Baker before I bought a copy of his guitar method volume 1 in a used book store 2 years ago, and now I've learned there was a very unique LP Custom with his name on it for a brief while. It had 3 PAFs but no selector switch, and no tone knobs. There was a master tone control that blended the three pickups, which each had their own volume control.

Keith Richards owned one for awhile, and that one is up for auction with an expected $200,000 valuation

Keith Richards-played 1957 Gibson Les Paul Mickey Baker Deluxe, traded to Gram Parsons, goes under the hammer

The uniquely wired instrument, which also had a brief stint at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, is speculated to sell for $200,000

www.guitarworld.com

 

[BA-CHEE]

Neat! Gee, thanks for posting, never knew these existed.

 

[LPTDMSV]

Wow, thanks, very interesting video. Presenter made great use of the guitar but did a terrible job of explaining how the wiring works!

Here’s Mickey & Sylvia in some double Les Paul action from ‘56 or ‘57, I guess. The video recording quality is so bad it’s hard to be sure, but I would say Mickey is playing a Black Beauty 2-pickup custom with the switch in the mid position and it surely sounds like the pickups are out of phase. Similar to the mid position sound on a normally wired 3-pu Custom!

Love is Strange live on the Steve Allen show

Record cover art (my profile pic) shows Mickey with his 1956 guitar

 

[LuckyDan]

Wow, thanks, very interesting video. Presenter made great use of the guitar but did a terrible job of explaining how the wiring works!

Here’s Mickey & Sylvia in some double Les Paul action from ‘56 or ‘57, I guess. The video recording quality is so bad it’s hard to be sure, but I would say Mickey is playing a Black Beauty 2-pickup custom with the switch in the mid position and it surely sounds like the pickups are out of phase. Similar to the mid position sound on a normally wired 3-pu Custom!

Love is Strange live on the Steve Allen show

Record cover art (my profile pic) shows Mickey with his 1956 guitar

View attachment 576326

I really enjoyed your video post! Thanks. Sylvia has some seductive hip action going on there. Great playing too

 

[sterobongos]

I just joined so I could say I have 2 of the reissues and I love them. See my avatar. That one is from 2003, my other one is from the first run in '98. I actually found your post as I was casually looking for another, you know, just to see...

 

[LPTDMSV]

I just joined so I could say I have 2 of the reissues and I love them. See my avatar. That one is from 2003, my other one is from the first run in '98. I actually found your post as I was casually looking for another, you know, just to see...

I'd be interested to know how the 'tone' pot is wired up on your guitars?

 

[sterobongos]

I'd be interested to know how the 'tone' pot is wired up on your guitars?

The one in the avatar has a Freeway 6 position switch installed. My other one is original, which is a master tone for all 3 pickups. It's just like the ES 5 (but not the ES 5 Switchmaster)

 

[LPTDMSV]

Ah OK thanks. I find it hard to believe that the "tone" pot was originally wired up as a blend control for (presumably) two of the pickups, but if anyone knows different I would love to hear it!

 

[LuckyDan]

Ah OK thanks. I find it hard to believe that the "tone" pot was originally wired up as a blend control for (presumably) two of the pickups, but if anyone knows different I would love to hear it!

Here is a deep dive video on the 98 reissue, with some history on Mickey and his original order.

 

[spoony]

Since we are on the subject of Mickey Baker.

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[LPTDMSV]

Here is a deep dive video on the 98 reissue, with some history on Mickey and his original order.

Thanks, good find, I find that guy pretty hard to listen to, but I can't say it wasn't informative!

 

[LuckyDan]

Thanks, good find, I find that guy pretty hard to listen to, but I can't say it wasn't informative!

Definitely a guitar nerd.

 

[sterobongos]

Ah OK thanks. I find it hard to believe that the "tone" pot was originally wired up as a blend control for (presumably) two of the pickups, but if anyone knows different I would love to hear it!

No blend pots in 1957, it was a master tone just like the ES 5.

 

[LPTDMSV]

No blend pots in 1957, it was a master tone just like the ES 5.

Yes, that seems way more likely and I can easily believe that a session pro like Mickey would have a hankering for the versatility of the ES-5 (but in a handy solid body). He might even have owned an ES-5 at some point, who knows?

Nice mini-collection you have there.

 

[Slashperryburst]

No blend pots in 1957, it was a master tone just like the ES 5.View attachment 577258

 

[1981 LPC]

OMG

 

[LuckyDan]

The final bid was $240,000, but I can't tell if the seller accepted it, looking at the auction page. The minimum bid (not the estimate, as I mistakenly said initially) was $200,000, but the estimate was $300,000. I don't know if a reserve was set.

 

[Big Dik]

Wow, thanks, very interesting video. Presenter made great use of the guitar but did a terrible job of explaining how the wiring works!

Here’s Mickey & Sylvia in some double Les Paul action from ‘56 or ‘57, I guess. The video recording quality is so bad it’s hard to be sure, but I would say Mickey is playing a Black Beauty 2-pickup custom with the switch in the mid position and it surely sounds like the pickups are out of phase. Similar to the mid position sound on a normally wired 3-pu Custom!

Love is Strange live on the Steve Allen show

Record cover art (my profile pic) shows Mickey with his 1956 guitar

View attachment 576326

When I took guitar lessons, I learned the Mickey Baker course. I have also picked up several of Mickey's albums...good stuff.

 

[shark]

here is mickey's other half "sylvia". I give you the ear worm dat been diggin at me for a month now , enjoy it

 

[wildschwein]

The layout is well covered here: